Hender Molesworth letter to William Blathwayt, 1686 December 17

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The person's, I advised you of in my last, designed for Providence
made theire Escape before my orders could reach them, ^ ^but we
haue not yet heard of theire arrivall there, which when we shall,& that they haue
put in practise theire intended model of Government, we Shall soon put an End to
it from hence

Captain Talbot was cast in his Seizure of the unfree ship, mencion'd in my last,
by libelling for her in the Admiralty, as if she had been taken at Sea (whereas she
was really Seized in Port,) yet did not positiuely assert the place of Seizure,
upon which nicety, Judgement past against him, & I thinke much to his dissatisfac
tion, & possibly he is the more soe, because that upon the merchants peticion to me,
setting forth the Equity of their case, I had promised them (as the most I could doe)
to forgiue them my part, in case the Seizure should stand good which would haue
been one Third, had the action been brought as it should haue been, for a seizure
made in Port, but to Evade that, as well as a jury Tryall, Libells for her in the
manner aforesaid, for which he had only thus much of Colour, that about 2 dayes
before the Seizure, I (being then at Port Royall) in order to make some parade
on his majesties birth day) was then informed of a Vessell Rideing at ankor
scandalously in the mouth of the Port, with intimacion likewise, that being
loaden with Logwood, with out haueing giuen the accustomed Bond, was designed
either for Curasoa or some part of Holland directly, whereupon I ordered
Captain Talbot to send out his boat, you know what theire bussiness was there, &
why they did not come into Port & if they were not free to come in, then to
keep the Ship in possession untill he had further orders from me, which being
accordingly Effected, the owners applyd themselues to me, & inferr'd that
they were not within the Circumstances of the act for giueing Bond, the Bay
of Hunduras (or the place from whence they fetch the Logwood) being none
of his Majesties Plantacon's, to which I replyd, then you are robbers, & may be
seized

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Seized as such, for what pretence can you haue to Cutt & fetch Logwood
from thence, but as you take it for a Plantacion of his Majestie, and a Settlement
depending upon this Island. Wherefore you had better owne it to be a Plantacion
belonging to his Majestie & soe, which in the act, then bring your Selves under worse
Circumstances, upon which they desired she might come into Port, for being
convinct, that it was reasonable they should giue Bond, their other designe
was at an End, The next day (after she came into Port) as I was goeing ouer the
water Captain Talbot told me, that he had reason to belieue her to be a forraigne
built Ship, upon which I answered he might Seize her if he thought fit, (not
knowing then, that she was a Ship that had past the Ceremony's of being made
free here, according to the practise of the place euer since my remembrance,) but
he was told of it, before he made the Sizure, which was not till the day after, by which you
may see all the ground that he had for libelling for her in the Admiralty as if she
had been brought in free Sea,

Some of Bannisters people escaping from him in a small Briganteen<
from the mosquetoes (being the Same he got away in, from Samana after the
loss of his Ship,) got into the got into the bay of Hunduras & were sent up here when they
gaue me such an account of the Condicion they left him amongst the Indian's
with 10 or a dozen more of his party, that I thought fit to send Captain Sprag after
them, haueing furnisht him with a Sloop for the better Trappaning of them
aboard, a Copy of whose orders you will here with receieue, Note that of those men
of Bannisters there were only two (who are now in Goale) that are as much
as Suspected to haue been aboard him at the Committing his Pyracy's but were
all Shipt at the mosquetoes where they were fishing for Totoise, he being soe
disquised, & calling himselfe Kelly that they did not know him untill being
aboard amongst them & near to goe to Sea, he declared unto them that
hee had war with all nacions which frighted some of the honestest of them who come
ing afterwards to know that it was Bannister, tooke the next oppertunity
(when he went aShore with the rest of his Company) to run away with the Briganteen
into the Bay of Hunduras, & there told Captain Loue master of a Considerable Merchant
man loading there, the manner of theire Escape & that Bannisters

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designe was to have Surprized his Ship where she was loading,as soon as
he could haue made up his Complement of men intended for it, Loue honestly
Secures them & sends them up to me, upon which I dispatch't Captain Sprag as
aforesaid

It is here said that Gramont (the head of the ffrench Pryvateers) was cast
away near Caolina concerning whome I lately writ you of a Complaint
made to me by the Governour of the Havanna of the people of Carolina's joyn
ing with them for the taking of St. Augusteen

I haue lately Caused to be taken another of the South Seamen (of the number
of the Six) formerly giuen an account of & haueing likewise found out severall
of his Entertainers, who being brought to justice, the Pyrate was Condemn'd
& also three others for Entertaining him, of whome I thought one only
sufficient to dye for a President (being the first of this kind) & therefor received
the other two into his majestie's Mercy, It falling justly upon the Suffering
person for that he had been a Pyrate himselfe & had his pardon from Sir
Henry Morgan, wherefor he was hanged togeather with the Pyrate that had
Entertained, & I hope will proue such and Example of terrour unto Others,
who haue not hitherto thought it a fault, as will uery much discourage the
Entertaining & trading with Pryvateers, & Consequently Pryvateering itselfe,
And the rather, for that the tryall of such Entertainers Traders &ca. was & may
be by the the jurisdiction of the admiralty, where they haue noe partiall Jury's
to depend upon,

One Courtney a Sloop man being indicted last grand Court upon our
Act against Pryvateering, for bearing Armes under a foraigne Comision
was cleared by the Jury (tho' it was possitiuely proved that he landed with
the french at Campeche & brought up the rear of a Considerable party of men)
which was Surprizing to the whole Court, who were sometime Considering how
to fine them, but at last Concluded with a seuere reprehension, & the Attorney
Generall moved that he might Continue Committed without very speciall
Bayle, for that he had other matters to lay to his charge besides that
which

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which he was tryed for Vizt. Entertaining & Tradeing with Pyrates he being the
person that brought the South Seamen here

We were near the dispatch of a Ship of the assientos with Negros for Carthaga when
by a vessell that accidentally put in here for Wood & water we understood that a
new ffactor being sent from Curasoa in place of one they had there (who being
taken with unlawfull trade they had been forced to turn out) was also discoured to
bring a Sloop's load of Merchandize with him with whome the Gouernour being
Concerned it was Expected it might haue past Currantly, but there being a Juez
(or a kind of Judge) with a Priuate Commission offered himselfe to goe aboard to
vissit the vessell, which the Governor discouraged till the other press'd soe far, that he began
to suspect more then ordinary,& therefor send private advise aboard, to put
to sea, which they did, & went for Porto Bell, for which place the Juez also sends advise of
the matter to the Castilliano (who is the Cheife officer there) chargeing him
to Seize the ffactors person, & goods & with all to come away himselfe to Carthagene
to receieue the Government of that place, for which he had a Commission in his Custody,
which advise, comeing there before the Sloop, the ffactor & his goods were taken,
the goods Condemn'd to the vallue, as is sayd of 50000 pieces &frac88;, and the factor Carried
by the Castilliano to Cartagena, where in the Crowd of getting aShore, the factor makes
Escape & takes Sanctuary at a Convent, the old Governor turn'd out, & the
Castilliano of Porto Bell plac't in his Steed, which being the present Condicion
of the Affaires of the Assiento in that place, we thought fit to Suspend the
dispatch of that Ship with Negroes (they being all taken upon Credit here)
untill we heare further from the factors Generall of Curasoa to whome an
Express hath been sent from hence giueing advise of the whole matter

I am now Expecting a list of seuerall old debts due unto the King by
fines forfeitures & Escheats to be brought me in by the Attorny Generall,
togeather with the Catalogue of seuerall houses on Port Royall belonging
unto the Pyrates in the South Sea's, which by Vertue of the late Proclamacion
sent you, I expect will become forfeited also unto his Majestie, which list and
Catalogue if they come before sealeing up of these you shall receieue herewith
or copie thereof, & at next meeting, I intend to Comunicate the same to unto the
(5)

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(5.)Councell in order to haue them Entered in that Book for the better
informacion & ease of the new Governor & his attorny Generall

At the desire of Collonell Byndlos I gaue an order to two Justices at the
Northside, to cause to come before them all such Person's as Colonel Byndlos
or any for him should signifie unto them, to be wittnesses concerning the
Interloper, & to take theire Examinacion's upon oath unto all such inter
rogatories as shall be offered but as yet haue no returne of the same, tho' by
what I understand he will by strong Circumstances (grounded upon what
the master was heard to say,) make out the most materiall part of his
informacion, But whither all the paines that he hath taken ^ ⁱⁿ it were really
intended for his Majesties Service, or gratfieing his Private Piques, I
leaue to wiser men then my Selfe to judge of, & to prevent the like neglect's
from officers in the remote parts of the Island in theire not Seizeing or
adviseing of the Interlopers that put in there, to put the same into the
charge of Perticuler person's, since what is really euery body's business
is Commonly thought to be noe body's

As for what further resolutions we haue taken for the Suppression
of the Rebellious Runaway Negroes that infest the parish of St. Georges
&ca. each upon the returne of the volunteer partyes, & the account giuen by them,
be pleased to be referred to the Councell minutes which the Secretary sends you
by this Conveighance

Ady the 20th Ditto

The deposicions about the Interloper are now come from
the Northside, but we haue noe time or Conueniency for calling of a Councell
before the departure of these ships, which shall be done presently after the
holy dayes which being the needfull I subscribe with much respect

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17 December 1686

From Collonell Molesworth
Received the 10 March
1686/7

The Unfree ship acquitted
in the Admiralty

As having been taken at
sea

Some of Banisters men escapt from
him and secured

Whereof only 2 are suspected to
have committed piracies.

Gramont said to be cast away

Another of the South Seamen taken
with 3 of his Entertainers
whereof one is executed with him

Courtnoy acquitted of Pirates against
positive Evidence

Continued in Custody.

The New factor at Carthagena taken
with unlawfull trade

Collonell Molesworth expects a list of debts
due to the King

And a Catlouge of Pirats houses at
[illegible] Port Royall which he will transmitt
by this conveyance

Has ordered Depositions touching
Beeston's Interloper & will transmitt
them by the next

Entered February 3d. Jamaica. page 326.

Ink on paper